Scabs on the Australian Docks .. Cairncross Dock Brisbane Australia, Monday July 15, 1991, a Fijian seaman from the British registered ship Pacific Guardian, used a ship's stores hoist to complete a routine job at the work face, that had been begun by a dockyard crane driver the Friday before, who was on strike at the behest of his union!

I was the single man who refused to work, and was refused support from the other Painters and Dockers on site Bruce Saunders and Phil Watts, who were working for a different contractor, with another rogue crane driver who had been brought in to break the Dockyard operators' strike!

After numerous phone calls, whence incumbent Secretary Ray Winning disclaimed responsibility on the grounds he was retired, and to Bob Mason and John Burke the incumbent President and VP, both of whom rejected their true role, and gave the remainder of the membership the ok to work on, after I was sacked!

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The matter was raised at meeting at the Union's rented premises, in Adelaide St, Brisbane City July 18, 1991, where at not one member stood with me in defense of the union, nor uttered a single word in condemnation of the scabs.

August 1, 1991, eighteen days after the original sacking and in response to internal charges I had brought against the responsive scab parties, I was called into the Secretary's office, the Previous night another member Ken Reeves who had remained aloof throughout the entire proceedings..

Phoned and said I was to be murdered in the union rooms the following morning, should I be so unwise as to attend, he told me Medicine Mick aka scab Mick Williams was to be my assassin. Williams and fellow scab Des Noon had formed a labor contracting company.

They had hoped to cash in on the Union's demise as providers of scab labor .. that morning Noon's white van was parked adjacent to the fire escape at the back of the building, in keeping with Reeves' warning my body was to be conveyed out of the building by that route and into the van.

When I rose to attend the summons scabby Neil Williams turned the radio was playing up to full volume .. Winning told me the way forward was to abandon the charges, Medicine Mick advanced to my left and was groping in his pants for an unseen object.

John Burke had his hand over his eyes, Winning shrieked "you're gonna withdraw the charges aren't you Mick," which was the name I usually used on union premises, I said "sure Ray" .. in a bank hold up when a teller is confronted by a felon who says he has a weapon whether it is visible or not.

Banks tell their staff to hand over as much money in as they can get their hands on .. it is no different in this case, the armed assailant gets things his way, at no time is any activity carried out under the duress of instant murder as in this case, legally binding on the plaintiff!

The charges against all responsive parties were upheld, following my election to the position of Union Secretary in 1992.